1. Technical Field
This patent document relates to transparency processing and displaying of computer images.
2. Description of the State of the Art
Computer images often use a transparency effect. When part or all of a computer image is transparent, the displayed background can be seen through the transparent portions of the image. Portions of an image can be displayed with varying levels of transparency. For example, when an image portion is 100% transparent, the background of the image is fully visible through the image portion. When an image portion is 0% transparent, the background of the image is not visible through the image portion. And when an image is 50% transparent, some of the background can be seen through the image portion.
To achieve the transparency effect, calculations are performed on the computer data that represent the pixels of the image to determine the correct pixel values of the image as it is to be displayed. The calculations required to achieve transparency often require significant processing and memory resources.
Some media devices may have limited processing and memory resources, and thus systems and methods of displaying transparent images are often not ideal for use on such media devices. The resources required of media devices may be particularly significant when displaying animation, because many potentially transparent images are displayed in rapid succession to create the illusion of smooth movement to the user of the media device.